Lantern-holder.



No. 743,578. -PATENTBD N OV. 10, 1903.

6,11. SHRODES. LANTBRNI HOLDER.

APrLIoATIoN 'PI'LED Anims, 190s.

No MODEL. Y 2 suns-,SHEET 2.

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PATENT `atented November 10, 1903.

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GEORGE H. SHRODES, OF EXCELSIOR, MINNESOTA.

LANTERN-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 743,578, dated November 10, 1903.

Application iiled April 28, 1903. Serial No. 154.651. (No model.) Y

.To a/Z whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. SHnoDEs, of Excelsior, county of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lantern-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means for securing a lantern where it will clearly illuminate the path infront of ahorse, and the device is designed particularly for the use of physicians, liverymen, and others who are frequently compelled to drive by night along unlighted streets or upon country roads.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. t

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side view of a horse, showing myinvention applied thereto. Figs. 2 and 3 are details of the device to which the lantern is attached. Figs. 3nu and 4 show a means for attachment of the lantern to the collar of a double or single harness. Figs. 5 and 6 show the means for connecting the lantern-support with a band or girth passing around the body of the horse. Figs. 7 and 8 show a slight modification in which the means connecting the lantern-support with the body of the horse are omitted and in place thereof a connection is made with the ends of the shaft.

In the drawings, 2 represents a housing, preferably of sole-leather, that is bent to present a rounded appearance in front, and provided with a hole 3, through which the lens of the lantern l is inserted. Suitable lugs 5 are provided on each side of the lantern, and straps 6 are secured to the housing and buckled over said lugs and securely hold the lantern in place. The top of the housing curves in over the upper portion of the lantern and shields the breast of the horse from the heat. A strap 7 is secured at one end to the housing and is provided at its other end with holes 8 to engage a buckle 9, provided on a shorter strap 10, that is also attached to the housing. The position ofthe lantern in front of the breast of the horse can be changed by the adjustment of these straps.

A lantern merely suspended from the neck of a horse would obviously be unsatisfactory, as it would swing to and fro with the motion of the animal and would not .provide the steady uniform field of light directly ahead that is to be desired. I therefore provide shoulder brace-rods 11, preferably of round steel wire or iiat, if preferred, having their ends riveted or otherwise secured to the housing 2 on each end of the same, as shown in Fig..2, andY provided with snap-hooks 12 at their opposite ends to engage rings 13 on a band or girth 14:, that is secured around the body of the animal just back. of the fore legs.

These rods will prevent the lantern from swaying laterally, and to prevent it from swaying forward and back I provide a third brace 15, also preferably of wire, connected tothe lower edge of the housing at one end and having a loop 16 at its opposite end through which the girth lli is passed. The lantern will thus be securely held against undesirable vibration. The straps 7 and 10 will support it vertically, and the bracingrods 1l and 15 will counteract any tendency of Mthe lantern to sway back and forth with the motion of the animal. Instead of providing independent straps to support the lantern-holder from the neck of the horse and a girth to pass around the bodyI may support the holder on the breast-plate or collar and utilize `the saddle-girth to support the rod `that passes between the fore legs of the animal. It is evident, therefore, that with the light supported in a suitable manner in front of the breast of the horse the rays will be thrown directly forward in `the path traveled by the animal, and it will not only be easier for the horse to see the path, but the driver can distinguish objects ahead as well and be able to avoid rough or dangerous places in the road and readily determine even on the darkest night whether the horse is in the road or not. Where the light is carried on the side of the buggy or other vehicle, the rays are thrown along by the side of the horse, and it is extremely difficult for either the horse or the driver to see the path in front.

In Figs. 3ai and 4 I have shown the device applied to a horses collar, 17 representing the collar, and 18 a strap that is attached at one end to the leather housing 2, above described, and carried through the collar and IOO then buckled into a shorter strap 19, that is also attached to said housing. The connection to the girth by the bracing-rod between the fore legs ofthe animal is substantially the same as described.

In Figs. '7 and 8 I have shown a slight modiiication, which consists in dispensing with the shoulderbracing-rods and providing short straps 20, secured at one end to the housing 2 and having sockets 2l at their opposite ends to receive the ends of the thills 22, being secured thereon by thumb-screws 23.

I am aware that devices have been patented heretofore for securing a lantern upon the head of a horse, and I do not, therefore, in this application make claim thereto, my invention consisting in suspending a lantern from the breast of a horse and providing means for preventing it from oscillating with the motion of the horse.

I claim as my invention- 1. A lantern andits holder, and means suspending the same below the neck of a horse in front of the breast, in combination with bracing means supporting said holder a sufficient distance from the breast to allow free movement of the shoulders and prevent contact of the lantern therewith, and said holder being held by said bracing means against os-V cillation in either direction with the motion of the animal.

2. The combination with a lantern, and means supporting the same beneath the neck of a horse, a band adapted to pass around the body of the animal, and brace-rods connecting said band with the lantern and preventing` its oscillation.

3. A means for supporting alantern in front of the breast of a horse, comprising a housing wherein the lantern is placed, a strap connected to said housing and adapted to pass around the neck of the animal, a band or girth adapted to pass around the body, and bracerods connecting said band and said housing.

4. A means for snpportingalantern in front of the breast of a horse, comprising a housing wherein the lantern is secured and having an opening through which the lantern-lens is exposed, a strap secured to said housing and adapted to pass around the neck of the animal, a girth fitting the body near the fore legs,shoulderbrace-rods connecting said girth with said housing and bracing the same against lateral movement, and a brace-rod also connected to said housing and said girth and passing between the fore leg-s, for the purpose specified.

5. A lantern and its holder, in combination with means for supporting said holder from the neck of a horse in front of the breast, and metallic brace-rods arranged to prevent the oscillation of the lantern with the motion of the animal.

6. The combination, with a holder adapted to be supported in front of the breast of a horse, of a lantern, a band or girth adapted to be secured around the body of the animal, and bracing means provided upon each side of the horses neck and connecting said band and holder, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of April, 1903.

AGEORGE H. SHRODES. In presence of- RICHARD PAUL, S. V. GRIFFIN. 

